Ct. Republicans struggle to gain ground

Ken Dixon

Updated 11:40 pm, Wednesday, November 7, 2012

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The last time ...
Last GOP congressman in Connecticut: Christopher Shays of Bridgeport, August 1987 to January 2009
Last Republican U.S. senator: Lowell P. Weicker Jr., defeated by Joe Lieberman in 1988
Last governor to go to prison: Republican John G. Rowland, 2005
Last GOP majority in the General Assembly: 1995-1997, in the state Senate
Last time Republicans had majorities in both the state House and Senate: 1985-86, with 85-66 in House and 24-12 in Senate
Current makeup of state Senate: 22 Democrats and 14 Republicans
Composition of the Senate in 1913: 21 Democrats and 14 Republicans

A year after the largest tax hike in state history, Democrats retained their current 99-52 and 22-14 majorities in the state House and Senate, respectively, pending a recount in a House district representing Newtown.

Republicans say the big victory by President Barack Obama in Connecticut was a force of nature, and they did well to hold their own.

Connecticut kept its -- and New England's -- solid-blue standing on the national political map when Democratic turnout in the cities of New Britain, Meriden, Waterbury and Torrington overcame suburban GOP support in the 5th Congressional District.

The sprawling 42-town district turned out to be the Republicans' best chance at returning a member to Congress, but Democrat Elizabeth Esty, of Cheshire, defeated Republican state Sen. Andrew Roraback, of Goshen, by a 52-to-48 percent margin.

Self-funded Republican millionaire Linda McMahon failed again to resonate with voters, and what was a tight race for weeks became an early call Tuesday night for U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, who will replace retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman.

"Trying to run against Dan Malloy clearly didn't work for them," said Nancy DiNardo, of Trumbull, chairwoman of the Democratic State Central Committee. "Connecticut voters really do understand that Gov. Malloy inherited this mess and he has been honest and straightforward in trying to solve it. Somehow, we have to get out of the mess and the governor is doing a great job in solving the problems we have."

Labor, women and urban strength turned back the attempted GOP strategy, which included campaign mailers featuring pictures of Democratic state lawmakers next to Malloy. Others bashed Democrats as being soft on crime because of their repeal of the death penalty and for an early release program for prison inmates called risk-reduction credits.

In fact, fewer inmates were released under the risk-reduction plan than under previous governors and recidivism is being reduced.

Roy Occhiogrosso, senior adviser for Malloy, said Wednesday that credit first goes to the various Democratic candidates.

"Most of these incumbent Democrats made some pretty tough votes over the past two years -- and almost every single one of them who wanted to be re-elected was re-elected," he said. "Having said that, the Republican strategy of tying Democratic legislators to the governor in a negative fashion clearly didn't work -- for the second time," Occhiogrosso said. "They tried it in the special elections in February 2011, and they lost seven of nine races."

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., who won election to his 11th term and had hoped to pick up several seats in his caucus, said the status quo was purely the result of the presidential race.

"During every presidential election, House Republicans have lost seats," Cafero said in a Wednesday phone interview. "We kept our 52 seats in what was a Democratic wave." He promises to lead the House GOP caucus in its continual attempt to keep Democrats honest.

"With one-party rule, only one story gets told, so it's up to the minority party to keep majority's feet in fire and that's what we're going to do," Cafero said.